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Lord Tristifer Bracken
The current ruler of Stone hedge and the leader of house Bracken, Tristifer Bracken is one of the competitors for the crown of the Riverlands, basing his claim on bastard Fletcher blood from King Quentyn III Fletcher. History The oldest son of Lord Boros Bracken and lady Minisa in 252( a lowborn girl he married for love), Young Tristifer and his two siblings Talia (born 253) and Bryndan (born 255) were born into a house of great traditions and high expectations. Tristifer himself was named for the old (and future) Kings of the Riverlands, with thus with high expectations to match. As it was, Lord Boros-a cold, cruel man to all save his wife- was not the one to teach them these traditions. He died mysteriously after failed negotiations with the Blackwoods in 260, and the blame was pretty soon pointed at the Blackwoods. Tristifers mother never forget, nor forgave. With his mother being grief stricken (and, moreover, a lowborn with no legitimacy from the other lords), a solution to raising the young lord was found-whilst Talia was sent to house Piper and Bryndan was raised by his paternal uncles, young Tristifer himself was placed under the protection of Lord Allister Tully, who placed all Bracken lands under his protection to stop the Blackwoods taking advantage of the chaos. Desiring to raise a better generation of Brackens without the past stigma, and seeing how **clever** young Tristifer was, Allister raised Tristifer as his surrogate father, with Tristifer becoming close friends; nay almost brothers, with Alesander Tully (Allisters heir) and Grover Tully, all of whom were his age. During this happy time, Tristifer accompanied Allister on his numerous missions around the Trident, learning how to keep the peace, and the importance of honor and mercy. He also saw how the Trident has fallen into disunity however, and won his spurs fighting as a 15 year old squire against a peasant revolt at Lynchester, proving himself a good **tactician**. During this time Tristifer and Allister’s family were very close, and to seal their friendship Tristifers sister Talia married Grover Tully in 270, whilst Tristifer himself married Annarra Grell in 269, the daughter of a Tully vassal out of love... With the marriages, widespread celebrations were held, with even the Blackwoods being invited. The Riverlands, it seemed, were destined for a new era of peace. It did not last. ' ' Sadly, the friendship between Tully and Bracken had already gone downhill. In 268 AA, the death of his last uncle forced Tristifer to return home to finally manage his lands. Imbued with the lessons from Tully, Tristifer tried to build a new start at StoneHedge, and attempted peace overtures with the Blackwoods, even courting a Blackwood daughter, though more out of duty than love. It all ends in failure however as her brothers found out about the secret tryst and a brief war ensued (much to Tristifers dismay and regret), accusing Tristifer of raping her. Lord Tully, with royal support, mediated the conflict. To Tristifer Brackens horror however, Allister ruled in Blackwoods favour, all in order to keep the peace. Outraged by this betrayal by his surrogate father, Tristifer was easily influenced by his scheming mother, who in his darkest hour confirmed that the rumors suppressed by Allister Tully (for his own protection) were indeed true; House Bracken is indeed descended from Quentyn III Fletcher, and that all Brackens problems could be solved if they had the crown. Tristifer rejected such treason then ..yet a seed was planted. ' As 280 arrived , Tristifer began to integrate himself at the Fletcher court, becoming a close adviser to King Tristifer III, with some whispering the King only likes him because of their shared names and because (unlike past royal advisors) Tristifer Bracken never says ''no to the King. Allister Tully warned Tristifer not to go to the Kings court, but Tristifer refused to listen, and exchanged harsh, bitter words with his old mentor. Not until the war in the Trident would the two speak again. A friendship was truly ended, and the slide to disunity began. Tristifer used his espionage skills at the court in Harrenhall, and soon was able to keep an eye on his (and the Kings) enemies, further making him indispensable to the king. He was soon dominant at court, save for house Mallisters influence, Frey’s money, and house Darry’s relentless ambition, with Tristifer failing to halt Darry's betrothal of his so to Mia Fletcher. Nonetheless, Bracken helped to rule the Trident for five years, and with his son Quentyn befriending the two Fletcher sons Bryndan and Edmyn, he was well placed to gain influence and power at last. But Then tragedy struck. The war in the Trident ' In 290, despite Quentyns pleads for caution and Tristifer’s attempts to stop them, the two Fletchers boys were killed in an Ironborn ambush, leaving the succession in doubt ( rumor and Darry propaganda has it that Tristifer himself, seeking the throne, encouraged the Boys to ride out, but this is mere slander). The King, in his grief and anger, blamed Tristifer Bracken for their deaths and exiled him from court, whilst Darry continued the betrothal to Mia Fletcher. Seeing this as a threat to internal stability (and also potentially, as a rival to his claim to the throne), Bracken raised an army in response, fighting several inconclusive battles against Darry. After a minor victory however, he was backstabbed by the Blackwoods,sparking a new brutal border war as Bracken is forced to shift his forces to face them. Worse was on the horizon however. When Gwayne Gardener invaded from the south, Bracken united with Tully to try and stop them outside Riverrun. Outnumbered however, they were scattered by the knights of the Reach, while Mallister and Darry were overrun by Arryn invaders. For most of a year, Bracken fought a heroic guerilla war on both fronts, using his tactical brilliance to delay both Reach and Vale forces in sieges and small skirmishes, all whilst attacking the siege lines at Riverrun to relieve pressure of house Tully, with Tristifer proving adept at **sabotage.**. This heroic effort was all overlooked however, as Lannister claims the lionshare of the credit for relieving Riverrun in 292, whilst Mallister claimed the victories over the Valeman at the Blue and Green forks, despite Brackens assistance in that counter offensive (albeit indirectly, due Blackwood allying with Mallister.) When the war was over, Stonehedge; for its refusal to yield, had suffered disproportionate damage though it eventually recovered. Tristifers remained angry however; at the rest of the Riverlands refusal to acknowledge his role as a war hero, at Blackwoods treachery, and at Darry’s disunity, all of which turned Tristifer down a darker path. Using his reputation as a patriotic guerilla fighter to win over the people, and appealing to smaller houses looking for someone strong (with the right blood) to unite the Riverlands, Tristifer finally realizes his mothers ambitions were right. If he is to get the respect he deserves and save the Riverlands, it must be as king. As the house words show, House Bracken is always *In the Right.* And with his descent from Quentyn III in his blood, who dares deny him his throne? '''Timeline' -252: Tristifer is born -260: Lord Boros his father dies. War with Blackwood, Tully intervention, takes Tristifer as his ward -267: Tristifer is knighted on the battlefield at Lynchester -268: Returns home to Stonehedge. Attempted peace with Blackwood fails, and short brutal war ensues. Marries childhood sweetheart Annarra Grell -270: Son Quentyn Born -271: Otho Born. Annarra find the birth so difficult she is rendered unable to have further children. -280: Joins King Tristifer Fletchers court, becomes unofficial master of whispers. -290: Exiled from court, war of the Trident begins. Fights Blackwoods and Darry -291: Battle of Riverrun vs Gardener, fights hit and run war against Vale -292 Joins Mallister counteroffensive, wins battles at Green Fork -298: After years planning, now travelling to Harrenhall Recent events Family In 270 there was a brief moment of happiness for Tristifer: his eldest son Quentyn was born, and a year later his second son Otho followed. Both strong and loving boys, over time there paths would diverge ; Quentyn was raised at the Fletcher court and become more conscientious, dutiful but cautious. Otho however (always his mothers favorite) was raised at Stonehedge, and thus became a more typical Bracken, with the usual anger, martial adeptness and Anti-Blackwood bias one would expect. A bitter, jealous rivalry developed under Tristifer nose for the Bracken succession, but Tristifer loved them both too much to notice. Time to will tell if it turns to blood. -Lord **Bracken** (D 260) M Minisa, a lowborn wench -His eldest son **Lord Tristifer Bracken** (born 252) M Anaara Grell (born 253) -Tristifers eldest son **Quentyn** (born 270) -Tristifers second son **Otho** (born 271) -Lord Boros daughter, Talia (born 253) M Grover Tully -Issue (see house Tully) -Lord Boros youngest son Bryndan (born 255) -Bryndans son, Boros (born 272) Household (NPC’s) ' '-Annarra Bracken nee Grell (Archetype Castellan) ' '-Quentyn Bracken ( cavalry general) ' '-Otho Bracken (to be PC) ' '-Bryndan Bracken, (Archetype:executioner) -Boros Bracken (Bryndan son) (Archetype: warrior) Category:Riverlands Category:House Bracken Category:Kingdom of the Trident